Launch Your Dream Business

 

 

How to Launch a Successful Startup is designed as a self-study course and as a structure seminar. The self-study entrepreneurship program is based on the How to Launch a Successful Startup book supplemented with information and forums on the How to Launch a Successful Startup web site.

 

There are six stages. The work and support required for each stage is as follows:

 

 

§       Stage 1 -  Show What You Got!

 

After assessing if your stars are aligned for starting a venture – you’ll start as a training camp walk-on. You’ll engage in exercises ranging from defining your customers needs, motivations to comparing competitive products and explaining how your business with operate model.  The internet is a great source of information.

 

Activities/Information

You individually complete Stage 1 and assess your own progress.  Information and knowledge acquisition/discussion…

§       Names of Advisors – Friends and Family

§       How to Launch a Successful Startup Advisors

§       Personal resources you are willing to commit

§       Determination of what to do when personal resources are exceeded

§       Complete Am I Ready? Table 1

§       Describe your customer from provided profiles

§       Product Description

§       What compel individuals to buy your product?

§       List of competitive products

§       Relative Product Appeal Table

§       Revenue Model

 

Time investment

 10 hours

 

Post Stage 1 Decision

Does your product idea have sufficient promise to proceed?

 

 

§       Stage 2 - Ground Stomping

 

You will test your customer, product and market ideas. Using pre-designed questionaire as a framework, you’ll dialogue with prospective customers, suppliers and even competitors. You’ll identify trends in customer needs, market trends and build a confidence in your ideas. 

 

Activity

You will need to listen and understand, what is being told to you.

 

§       Review and modify questionnaire

§       Identify and interview customers, experts, competitive sales persons

Recommendation: You should interview 12 or more potential customers, 3 experts, 3 suppliers and 3 competitive sales persons

§       Adopt the questionnaires in Appendix A and B

§       Collect information and review the results

 

Time investment

 20 to 40 hours

 

Post Stage 2 Decision

Does your product idea have sufficient promise to proceed?

 

 

§       Stage 3 -  Foundation Design

 

With the wisdom you gained from Stage 2, you’ll reassess your earlier concepts. Your effort will result in a realistic definition of your mission, your target customer, your product, the market and a draft revenue and cash flow model.

 

          Activity

Your getting your act together to build a cohesive story of why you idea is a winner.

 

          You will…     

§       Fine tune your description of market, customer, competition, etc.

§       Generate a mission statement

§       Prepare a draft sales and cashflow projection

§       Start evaluating funding sources

§       Business Model

 

Time investment

  10 to 16 hours

 

Post Stage 3 Decision

Are you sufficiently knowledgeable to convince experienced entrepreneurs that your idea is the foundation for building a sustainable business?

 

§        Stage 4 – Review by Collaborating Entrepreneurs

 

You now have the option of having your ideas reviewed by entrepreneurs and business advisors within your industry. You will prepare a presentation. It will be judged on the marketing opportunity and plan, your leadership skills and the chances of your business succeeding. You will be either encouraged to proceed or sent back to the drawing board

 

               Activity

You will prepare a presentation, based on How to Launch a Successful Startup guidelines, for collaborating entrepreneurs. They are selected by you from theHow to Launch a Successful Startup web site. The presentation should take about 30 minutes followed by a 30 to 45 minute discussion.  The presentation can take place at any of the following sites:

 

§       Skype session

§       Telephone conference

§       How to Launch a Successful Startup office (in conjunction with seminar sessions if approved by the Seminar Moderator.)

         

§       Any mutually agreed location

 

Time investment

30 to 36 hours (includes 2 hours for presentation and collaboration)

 

Post Stage 4 Decision

The collaborators will provide you with their view of whether you should proceed and their estimate of what it will take to launch your business, make modification or go back to the drawing board.

 

 

§       Stage 5 - Completing the Infrastructure

 

You will prepare a business plan. Although a 20 page template is presented you can utilized any recommended format. The process of preparing a plan, and not the plan itself, will increase the likelihood that the business will be a success.

 

               Activity

§       Establishing a business plan game plan

§       Team buy-In

§       Completing the plan

 

Time investment

48 to 64 hours

Support

          Team Members, business advisors and collaborators to review

 

 

§       Stage 6 – Selling Investors

 

If you plan to raise money, you need to prepare an investor sales plan and a highly targeted presentation. It will include the traditional elevator pitch with appeals to your audience’s greed and your “winning” intangibles.

 

               Activity

§       Identifying investors

§       Setting up appointments

§       Presentation preparation

§       Preparation Do’s and Don’ts

 

Time investment

72+ hours for above activities.  Possibly months before raising funs

 

Support

      Team members, collaborators and networking

 

 

§        Program Total Time Investment and Support

 

Stage                                  Investment                      

         

Show What You Got!      10 hours                          

                                                                         .

Ground Stomping           20 to 40 hours                              

                                                                                    

Foundation Design        10 to 16 hours                            

                                                                                                                                 

Entrepreneur                    30 to 36 hours                            

Collaboration

         

Completing the                48 to 64 hours                            

Infrastructure

.        

Subtotal                             118 to 166 hours                                            

         

Selling Investors              72+ hours                        

 

Total                                   190 to  238 hours